Belgrade – Proud Host of the European Running Championship 2027!
Wednesday, 23. October 2024
Belgrade will host another major athletics competition – the European Running Championship in 2027, with races covering distances of 10, 21, and 42 kilometres. This decision was made at the annual convention of European Athletics held in Skopje, with Serbia’s candidacy prevailing over the Netherlands.
The organizers of this European Championship, scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2027, will be the Belgrade Marathon and the Serbian Athletics Federation, under the patronage of the City of Belgrade and the Ministry of Sports. The event will also coincide with a significant milestone – the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Belgrade Marathon. Moreover, the European Running Championship will serve as an ideal prelude to the specialized EXPO 2027 exhibition titled “Play for Humanity,” set to take place from May 15 to August 15, 2027, in Belgrade.
Interestingly, European Athletics decided last year to entrust the organization of the European Championship in road running for the marathon, the half marathon, and 10 kilometres to marathon race organizers. The first European Championship under these new rules will be held in Belgium on April 12 and 13, 2025. year.
The Serbian delegation at the Skopje congress, consisting of Predrag Momirović, competition director of the Serbian Athletics Federation, Darko Habuš, director of the Belgrade Marathon, Jovan Kantar, executive director of the Serbian Athletics Federation, and Katarina Stevanović, PR manager of the Serbian Athletics Federation, received strong support from European Athletics members. Their dedication and long-standing experience in organizing globally significant events were key factors in the decision to select Belgrade as the host of this prestigious championship.
“We are very pleased that the host of the European Running Championship will be Belgrade, a city that has proven many times to be an impeccable host of major competitions. The European Running Championship is the newest event on the European Athletics calendar and represents the core of our strategy to expand the running movement across the continent,” said Dobromir Karamarinov, President of European Athletics, adding:
“One of the main goals of this championship will be to unite elite runners and recreational athletes on the track, and we are excited to see both professionals and amateurs starting together and competing in Belgrade,” Karamarinov concluded.
It is expected that over 25,000 runners will participate in all three disciplines at the Belgrade championship.
“Another major event for our country! We are proud to have the opportunity to organize the European Running Championship in 2027 as part of the 40th Belgrade Marathon. This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase Belgrade and Serbia in the best light,” said Predrag Momirović.
It is important to highlight that the European Running Championship will be the fourth major international athletics event hosted by Serbia in recent years. Previously, our country successfully organized the European and World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2017 and 2022, respectively, as well as the World Cross Country Championship in 2024. year.
“This is a great victory for Serbia and Belgrade, and it is an enormous honor for the Belgrade Marathon and the Serbian Athletics Federation. We have been entrusted with great responsibility, and I have no doubt that our organizational team will justify this trust through hard work and dedication. We will do everything to meet, and even exceed, the highest organizational standards, and ensure that Belgrade hosts a true athletic spectacle. I have no doubt that we will be excellent hosts and that Serbia and our capital will send the best possible image to the world,” said Darko Habuš, director of the Belgrade Marathon
It is worth noting that Olivera Jevtić won the silver medal in marathon at the European Championship in Gothenburg in 2006, as well as five bronze medals at the European Cross Country Championships.